Hard substrate associated with offshore oil and gas platforms can contribute to the productivity of marine ecosystems thereby generating local and regional economic benefits. These benefits form the basis for incorporating the platform into a rigs-to-reefs program when it is retired or selecting some other type of removal option. There are many options for reefing platforms, each differing in environment impact of activities associated with the dismantling and transport of the platform structure (deck, jacket, and other subsea structures). Utilizing science-based decision making in exploring platform removal options can be beneficial for all stakeholders in the context of a regulatory environment, complex ecosystem, and human interactions across multiple scales. Accomodating these complexities in a decision making process is the foundation of an Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) approach. EBM is an environmental management approach that recognizes the full array of interactions within an ecosystem, including humans, rather than considering single issues, species, or ecosystem services in isolation (Christensen et al., 1996; McLeod et al., 2005; Altman et al., 2011). The focus of this study is on one of Shell's deepwater assets in the Gulf of Mexico. The fixed jacket platform has been in operation for more than 35 years and extends to over 1,000 feet of water depth of the coast of Louisiana. Few studies have been published on the ecology of marine life inhabiting deepwater platforms such as these. To begin to understand the specific contribution of this platform as an artificial reef, a stratified (across depth down the platform) study was performed using routinely collected Remotely Operated Vessel (ROV) video footage to assess fish and sessile biotic communities. The results of the ROV study revealed clear depth-related patterns for visually conspicuous epibiota (Lophelia pertusa) as well as numerous species of reef and pelagic fishes. These data were used to construct a matrix to rank ecosystem services with respect to several decommissioning alternatives, including: complete removal of the deck and jacket; removal of the deck and topping the jacket (to below 85 feet below the waterline) and leaving it in place; and removal of the deck, and transferring the entire jacket to a rigs-to-reef location. This portion of the assessment provided a strategic framework for identifying and evaluating sensitive ecosystem services in association with both human and environmental drivers to provide realistic (actionable) guidance in the selection of these decommissioning options. The ranking illustrated that a high level of ecosystem services could be maintained by decommissioning alternatives that leave the jacket in place or as part of a rigs-to-reefs program. Copyright 2015, Society of Petroleum Engineers.
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